Game Over: A Sword Art Online Story

Chapter 2

I was walking in a forest on the fourth floor. I got news that two thousand players were already dead.

A month had already passed and still no help or any messages from outside.  It was useless. 

But what shocked me was that some of the players were slaughtered by monsters because they wanted to die. They couldn't handle the thought of being trapped in a game of death for the rest of their lives.

Suicide, I thought. It didn't surprise me that people could go insane here, but killing themselves?

"At least they had weapons and food and col. Why couldn't you all be grateful for that?" I muttered.

Somehow I have to get out of this game before-

"Roaaargh!!" A giant roar snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked to see a giant beast with the horns of a ram and an enormous cutlass, cowering above me.

I pulled out my saber and extended it and with all my strength, I ran toward the beast. I avoided its cutlass as it kept hitting the ground trying to kill me, but the beast was too slow as always.

I used my "Upward Slice" skill to try to cut of its leg since it was the weak part of every beast, but I didn't see the beast's hand and it swept me away, leaving me crashing into trees and rolling onto the ground.

I stood up and looked at my HP bar. 240/342. I was almost halfway. I sprinted and as the cutlass landed, I climbed it and hopped onto his arm. I used the "Linear" skill and pierced his arm. The beast roared in agony and pulled out a second weapon, a dagger.

Shoot, I thought. I managed to jump off, but I couldn't dodge the blow of the dagger. It slashed my shoulder, but it didn't cut it off. I fell on my side and groaned in pain. I feebly looked to my left and saw my HP bar in the yellow zone. It was so close to going into the red zone, where I would be finished off for good.

I tried reaching for my healing crystals, but I was in such pain that I couldn't even pull up my inventory tab. I rolled onto my back and saw the beast, the cutlass and dagger in his hand.

This is it, I thought. I would only see my killer, looking down at me with pure hatred in his eyes. If he could talk, he probably would've said that I failed. That I didn't even try to stop him. My life would end here, adding to the number of epitaphs in the real world.  

The beast lifted the cutlass and dagger. I closed my eyes. Goodbye everyone...

Suddenly, I heard the sound of a sword cutting into the skin of a...beast?

I opened my eyes and saw five people all dressed in black armor and hoods. They each took a part of the beast and cut it off. The arms and the legs fell, leaving the beast weak. One of the players- I could make out was a girl- extended her silver sword and jumped. She then pierced the beast through his heart. He gave one final roar and vanished into little particles.

I sat up in shock. Were they a guild? They congratulated each other and finally looked at me. I blinked in confusion. The girl was the first one to approach. I was going to back up, but she raised her hands and said, "We're not here to hurt you."

She lowered her hands and pulled out her inventory tab. Then she clicked on an item and it appeared in her hands. A healing crystal!

She walked towards me and dropped the crystal. "Heal," she commanded. After a few seconds, I looked at my HP bar and it was fully restored. "T-thank you," I stammered. She nodded in acknowledgment and lifted her black hood, revealing her face.

She had cyan hair that framed her face. Her eyes were violet and her right cheek was marked with a symbol. It was a black teardrop shape with a triangle marked with dots on every corner. Her face didn't look innocent nor hard. 

"My name is Luna. These are my friends," she extended her hand towards the four people as they lifted their hoods. Each had the same symbol on their cheeks. "W-well, thanks for your help," I said, barely audible.

I stood up hesitantly, then started to turn. "Wait," Luna said. I looked at her in confusion. She took a deep breath and said, "We want you to join our guild. We saw you in battle, and it looks like you can fight well with training. We want to go home too. You can help us."

I stared at her wide-eyed, but I realized that she and her teammates helped me when I was going to be on the brink of death. I owe them for saving my life. Besides, it will be easier to conquer the floors with a guild than alone.

I nodded slowly and replied, "I accept your offer."

Luna smiled and said, "Thank you. You will be such a great aid to us. I can show you around, give you a few tips, and then we'll be ready to conquer the fourth floor together. Imagine the great things we can do!"

My mood brightened instantly. I already made a friend in the guild and I'm joining it! Speaking of guild...

"Hey, um, sorry to interrupt, but what's the name of your guild?" I asked.

Luna turned and replied, "We're called The Sun Shadow."